


We're Dating

by Whothefuckyduckyisbucky



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Accidental Dating, Affectionate, Cuddles, Didn't Know They Were Dating, Happy Ending, Kissing, Love, M/M, Old-Fashioned, Slow Build, commitment issues, neither of their fault, then it wasn't, was kind of funny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-12
Updated: 2017-07-14
Packaged: 2018-12-01 03:34:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11477769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whothefuckyduckyisbucky/pseuds/Whothefuckyduckyisbucky
Summary: Tony thinks they're dating. They totally are. Someone should tell Steve.Set after The avengers movie. In the 1940's male friendships were a lot more affectionate, so Steve doesn't always get that the affection Tony shows him isn't platonic.





	1. Steve's side

Steve is a lot better at adjusting to the future than people thought he would be. Sure, at first he was pretty overwhelmed about all the new things he had no idea how to use, but it didn’t take long. Steve was not an old man like people seemed to think. He was 23 years old and was not a fan of people making fun of him for not knowing things, no matter how subtle they thought they were being. Tony was a big help in helping Steve along. At first, Steve had been put out by all the teasing from Tony. It seemed too similar to the agents that held back laughter when Steve examined a weapon too long or from the people who giggled when it took him too long to figure out a remote. To them it was innocent. It was as if they liked thinking of Steve as their elderly grandfather. Tony’s teasing was different. It was mostly light-hearted references or segways for Tony to teach Steve something new.  
That was the biggest difference. Steve appreciated how Tony would always patiently teach anything that Steve asked about. In fact, Steve appreciated this so much that he would regularly call Tony and ask him questions. It wasn’t always about technology, just things he didn’t know. The first time Steve called Tony, he had taught him to use a few different websites and apps on his phone. It didn't take long and Tony's willingness to help only encouraged Steve to call with more questions. Sometimes Tony knew the answer and sometimes he didn’t. The things he didn’t know usually consisted of cooking, which had become much different in modern years. Tony never discouraged Steve from calling him even though it had probably gotten to the point of being too much. In fact, Tony mostly encouraged it. If he didn’t know the answer Tony would always look it up and explain to Steve. After enough questions about food, Tony had even bought Steve a couple cook books. Steve really appreciated it and always said so. He got the feeling that Tony didn’t get a lot of appreciation for all the things he did, so Steve made a point of showing as much appreciation as he could for all the things that Tony would do for him.

  
It soon became clear that they had become much closer friends. Tony even had admitted to not like going to long between calls. He said it made him nervous and he liked the check ins. Steve had smiled and agreed to call more often. Tony was so much different around him now than he was at first. He would invite him to the tower all the time for movie nights, showing Steve a lot of pop culture he had missed out on. They would go out to dinner and even to museums and art shows every once in awhile. Steve could tell Tony mostly feigned interest at the museums and art shows, but was appreciative that Tony accompanied him anyways. Steve felt so awkward doing those activities alone.  
Getting along in their personal life even helped in their professional lives. More and more people seemed to be becoming fans of the avengers. Him and Tony even more so. They had even come up with a cute mashed up version of their name when referring to the two of them. He remembered commenting on how he thought it was cute to a reporter who asked him. He remember the shy way Tony had laughed and looked at Steve like he was ridiculous, guiding him away from the stray reporter that had followed the two there. “Subtle.” He had said, chuckling. Steve didn’t get it, but he smiled back anyways. “Subtlety has never been a strong trait of mine.” Steve had replied. Tonys smile turned fond and he asked Steve if he was free for dinner the next day. Steve nodded, agreeing as usual. It was a really nice place that night. Tony had taken them to some pretty fancy places in the past so it wasn’t out of the ordinary. While they were finishing dessert, Tony had looked up at Steve meaningfully, trying to get Steve's attention. Steve looked up, giving Tony his attention. He had stammered over his words as he spoke and Steve wondered if the wine he had drank was stronger than expected. But then Tony cleared his throat and managed to ask Steve if he would consider moving into the now Avengers tower. Steve knew a lot of the others had moved in, but had yet to make the move himself. He pursed his lips, looking down in thought, then back up to see the nervousness in Tony’s eyes.

  
“Hey, you don’t gotta be so nervous.” Steve said, hoping to calm Tony’s nerves. Maybe Tony wanted this more than Steve had thought. Steve supposed it would be good for morale, for both the avengers and the public. Tony chuckled and began to slowly eat his ice cream again as if to distract his nerves.

“Wouldn’t be so nervous if a certain someone didn’t take so long to answer.” He bit his lip “Moving in with me wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world Steve.” Tony tried to joke. Steve could tell it was a self deprecating one. That stuff used to go right over Steve’s head, but now he could clearly see when Tony was being hard on himself.

“Just worried about my independence, you know?” Steve reasoned. “Would I have my own space?” Tony blinked weirdly and Steve wondered if he had said something wrong.

“You could have your own room.. On my floor?” He said the last part like a hopeful question and Steve put out his hand on the table, offering comfort if Tony wanted it. He did.

He shot his hand out so fast across the table, putting his hand in Steves. Steve hummed for a second, but didn’t keep Tony waiting too long.

“Yeah, I don’t see why not. That sounds good.” Steve remembers how happy Tony had looked in that moment. Steve guessed he had waited pretty long to join the rest of the team. It had been been about a year since Tony and him had become really close, even longer since Steve had trusted him enough as a teammate.

So about a week after that conversation, Steve had moved in. Tony had a room specially made for him right next to Tony’s own room. It even had a door that connected the two. Tony assured Steve that there was a lock on both ends. Steve had nodded and laughed a little.

  
“I really don’t mind you having access to my room, Tony.” He had said.

 

“I know, but I also know you said you wanted your independence and I know how you like to keep some… um, space.” Steve nodded, overlooking all the nervousness in Tony's voice.

 

“It looks great Tony, thank you.” Steve leaned to give a kiss to Tony’s cheek. Tony pushed into it and turned his head to return the favor. Steve turned his head last minute, saving Tony from accidentally kissing his lips. Steve chuckled.

  
Unfortunately, shortly after that Steve was needed in Washington DC for a mission. He barely had anytime to really live in the tower at all. Tony pouted when he pointed this out and asked Steve to call him every day for check ins. Steve agreed. He could understand his teammates concern. Fury had been pretty ominous when he asked Steve to come out for this mission. Before he left Tony gave Steve a peck on the lips, said it was for luck. Steve had winked jokingly at Tony in response, leaving with that giddy smile on his face only Tony Stark could give him.


	2. Tony's Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony's side

Tony is so bored without Steve. He had felt so busy before dealing with all the things he had to do as Tony Stark and dealing with Steve and his confusing signals. They were moving so SLOW. Tony was okay with that, he really was. He knew from the beginning that Steve was just as much damaged goods as Tony was. He knew about Peggy. Steve had told Tony all about her. He knew that must have done wonders for Steve’s emotional availability. Despite what people may think, Tony stark did not need to be physical in order to live. Sex was not that important to him. It was absolute shit if he didn’t like the person anyways. He remembered going over this with Steve. He remembered the exact day. It was over a year ago. They had just begun to work well together as teammates and it seemed like something more was in the works. He had Steve alone after a mission. The rest of the team had headed home or wherever it is they go after a mission. Steve looked worn out and yet still sexy as fuck. Tony never knew anyone could do that until he met Steve Rogers.

“I feel like I was never this tired before.” Steve had mused. Tony long since had forgotten how they got to this part of the conversation, but he knew this part well. Tony had chuckled.

“Yeah, well, age will do that to you cap.” He had joked and Steve rolled his eyes, smiling at Tony “Plus, times are changing. Things are different now. You should know that. You call me enough asking me about them.” He had joked, trying to distract himself from the way Steve looked at him like he was something important. Steve chuckled.

“Yeah, trust me I know.” He leaned over on Tony. They were sitting on a small couch, and had been for a while. They’d sat down to rest, then both discovered they were too sore to move. “Thanks for always answering me.” Steve had said. Tony looked down at him like he was crazy, but he doubted Steve caught the expression. Of course he always answered. Those calls were the best part of his day. 

“Don’t worry Cap, I’ll always answer.” He said meaningfully. “Even that time you called me completely floored by how gay marriage was legalized.” Tony snorted. Apparently Steve hadn’t even been aware that was in the works. He didn’t know It had long since been legalized in New York. He was so god damned happy. It had been adorable.

“Relationships like that were just not allowed in my day!” He exclaimed “To not only be allowed publicly, but to be allowed to marry, that's awesome, okay.” Steve said, chuckling into the side of Tony’s neck. Tony was silent for a minute. There was a lot he wanted to ask Steve on this topic and Tony thought this could be a good segway, maybe choppy, but if he could just ask and get it off his chest, he’d feel so much better knowing.

“It was illegal back in your time, right Steve?” Steve nodded, moving and sitting back up to look at Tony as they talked. That did not make this any easier. “That affect you at all?” Tony asked. The silence felt like so much longer than it was. “You don’t have to tell me-” He had said, about to start backpedaling, but he had thankfully noticed that Steve had opened his mouth at the same time. “Oh, I didn’t mean to interrupt…” Steve just shook it off with a lighthearted smile.

“It didn’t really effect me at all. New York was already pretty liberal with that law anyways and it’s not like I had someone to go out and get in trouble with. Well, except Bucky, but unlike me, he was exclusively into girls.” Steve was so open about it that Tony was caught off guard. He hadn’t expected it to come out of Steve's mouth so easy.

“So… you’re bisexual?” He asked forwardly, hoping he didn’t offend Steve.

“Yeah, I guess so.” Steve shrugged. “I’ve always been kinda casual about that part of my life.” Steve chewed on his lip. “I’d kind’ve been with a few people, but no one really mattered ‘till Peggy. Let myself get close and affectionate with her and then lost her in an instant.. Probably a little more cautious now.. Probably would take it slower now.” Tony was still floored by how honest Steve could get with him. Once he trusted someone, Steve was such an open book. Slower. Steve probably got physical with Peggy pretty fast. I mean, they were right in the middle of a war. And he doesn’t have much experience with guys. He implied that he had a little. He wouldn’t have mentioned it if he wasn’t at least interested in Tony.

“Slow. I could probably do slow.” Tony had said.

“You could.” Steve had encouraged, with no question or doubt in his eyes. 

“You want to go out to dinner with me some time?” Tony had asked and Steve had looked so happy. 

That was the day Tony first asked Steve out. They had been dating ever since. That first day he had said he could go slow and Steve had believed so full heartedly in him. But Tony had had no idea how slow Steve meant. He should have known. Things in Steve time had to of already been pretty slow. Stuff like kissing and sex were things you took a long time building up to. That’s how Tony imagined the past had to of been like. He wasn’t there, but the physical was a taboo. When Steve said slow, he must have meant even for his time, because this was getting ridiculous. They held hands and kissed cheeks, and occasionally Tony got to peck Steve on the lips and that was it! They had been dating for more than a year. They went on dates every night. Tony had asked Steve to move in with him and when Steve said yes, Tony thought their relationship might finally move into the physical, but then Steve had said he still wanted space. How much space could he need. Did he not want Tony the same way as Tony wanted him. He didn’t seem to talk about kissing or dating too much in the past. Tony had thought it was because Steve was always so sick, but maybe Steve just didn’t have any interest. Maybe he was asexual. Tony wants to say that’d be okay, but he doesn’t think he could do that. What if Steve doesn’t even know. Tony doubts Steve’s ever heard of the word. Tony has to confront Steve when he gets home from his mission. He’s willing to wait as long as Steve wants, but he needs to know that at some point there's an end to the wait. If Steve really is asexual, Tony couldn’t do this anymore. He’d always be friends with Steve and he certainly wouldn’t blame Steve for just being who he is, but he has to know.

That’s when Tony heard the door open and Jarvis announced that Steve was here. Tony went to meet Steve in the living room. Steve looked exhausted and he was. The mission had wrapped up, but now he had even more on his mind and he just wanted to take a shower and sleep. When he saw Tony he still managed to smile. It was good to see him. He had missed him.

“Hey.” Steve said simply

“Hey.” Tony replied, losing all the energy he had bottled up earlier. He couldn’t bother Steve with this now.

“Let me get you a towel and grab your clothes. Just go take a shower.” Steve hadn’t said anything about wanting a shower, but Tony knew him well enough to know that was always the first thing Steve wanted to do after getting home from a mission. Even if they hadn’t been living together long, he remembered Steve telling him that taking a shower after a mission separated the mission from his home life. Steve nodded gratefully, headed to the shower down the hallway. “You can use the shower in my room. It’s a better shower.” Tony said. Steve didn’t put up a fight, he just changed direction. Tony walked off to grab a towel and clothes for Steve. Then he grabbed steve's soap and shampoo from the other shower to bring to him. Steve was already in the shower, but Tony payed him no mind. He was used to holding back urges by now. He almost groaned when Steve peaked out to thank him. Tony would never get over how good Steve’s upper body looked without clothes. He could only imagine what the rest of him would look like. He walked out to his bedroom to sit and wait playing with his phone. Steve took his time in the shower, only getting more drowsy as he went. He was much more relaxed now and the tiredness was hitting him hard. He got out of the shower, drying off and getting dressed, stumbling out to head to his room. He walked to the adjoining door he had never used and tried to open it, but it was locked.

“You probably never unlocked it from the other side.” Tony chimed up and Steve looked back at him. “You could stay in here.. If you wanted.” That was probably weird for a friend to offer, but Steve probably wasn’t thinking clearly and it was a tempting offer. So he stumbled to Tony’s bed and slipped under the covers.

“Night.” Steve said, facing opposite of Tony. Tony sighed softly, but said goodnight in return. This was so slow and Steve was so close. Surely Steve wouldn’t mind if Tony just spooned him? Tony did so slowly, waiting to see Steve’s reaction. Steve was already asleep. His sleeping body moved closer to the warmth. Tony smiled to himself and fell asleep, promising himself he’d talk to Steve in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Already halfway done with chapter3. Might have a chapter 4. It would be more like an epologue


	3. Oh my god, we're dating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The big reveal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I lied. This isn't the end yet. Probably 3 more chapters? I think. Feelings got in the way

They’re cuddling. Steve had woken up at his usual 7am and has found himself in Tony’s bed cuddling him. He remembers being offered to sleep in the same bed, but not what part of the night they must have accidently crossed limbs. He’s in a deathgrip and shakes a little to try to get loose. Tony groans softly, “Stevie, go back to bed. It’s too early to be up.” He held him closer and Steve was a little perplexed by that. He stiffened. Tony felt the change immediately and let go.

“Sorry.” He said in a decidedly rejected tone.

“No need to be sorry. People move when they sleep. It happens.” Steve said, moving away from Tony. Tony sighed. Of course Steve thought he had accidently cuddled him in the night.

“You know it’s not that weird for two people who are dating to cuddle.” Tony said, approaching the subject carefully. Steve sat up and his eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

“No, it’s not?” Steve replied and Tony sighed again and decided to just rip the bandaid off.

“Steve, are you asexual?”

“Wha? No?” Steve answered immediately, turning to face Tony. “What would make you think that?” Tony jumped at the opportunity to say what he was feeling.

“It’s just.. I know we agreed on slow, but this is like slower than an ice glacier moves slow, and I know it’s a cliche, but a mans got his needs, and it’s even beyond the sex part, which I could totally get over. I get barely any physical contact from you at all. I understand that with everything that happened to you, you're a little fucked up, don’t take it personally, I am too, but we should talk about this, right? That’s what couples are supposed to do.” Tony let it all out and Steve looked at him with a completely blank expression. Steve was a lot of things, but he was not stupid. Maybe a little naive. This proved he was indeed naive. This is a prime example of him being naive. In his defense, friendship between men was a lot different in his day than it was now. It used to have a closeness to it. He has been told about the differences now, but he just thought.. Maybe it didn’t really change, it was just less welcome publicly? He began to go over his friendship with Tony in a different lense in a way that would make what Tony is saying make sense and when everything clicked into place he felt like a complete idiot.

“Oh my god, we’re dating.” He said it so seriously and with such a monotone voice, Tony assumed it was a rejection at first until he registered the words.

“What? Of course we are. Where have you been the past year? You hit your head in DC Steve?” Tony asked incredulously.

“We’ve been dating for a year?” Steve’s eyes went wide and now he stood up. Oh my god, they’ve been dating for a year. This made so much sense. Tony always pushing like he wanted to get a little closer. Steve never questioned it even though it struck him as a bit different. Even from how close friendship used to be, it was strange. Why hadn’t Steve questioned or gave it more thought? He liked it. Tony and Steve have been dating for a year and Steve liked it. He was happy. Dating Tony made him happy. Wow, this is a lot of information to take in. While Steve was stuck in his head, Tony stared on wondering what Steve was trying to accomplish here. This was out of character for Steve. He was always so honest and trusting with Tony. Why would that change now? It wouldn’t. Tony’s expression now also went blank as Steve’s had earlier.

“Dear god, you had no idea we were dating.” He said in a similar monotone voice as Steve’s. Steve finally looked back at Tony with wide, guilty eyes.

“I am so sorry.” Steve finally muttered out softly, his skin beginning to turn a furious red. Tony laughed. He actually laughed. He couldn’t help it. How could two people who were so close be on two completely different pages than the other.

“Jesus Steve, what’d you think we were doing?” He laughed incredulously.

“I. Don’t. Know.” Steve threw his hands up in the air. It was a relief that Tony didn’t seem to be angry with him yet, but Steve had no excuse for having been so stupid for such a long period of time.

“We went on dates. Like, EVERYDAY.”

“Friends can hang out, can’t they?”

“We’d hold hands. We kiss sometimes. We had that whole conversation about your love life!”

“Well… you never said… you never asked… I. Don’t. Know!” Steve stumbled over words. They weren’t arguing. They should probably be arguing. Steve snorted. Why the hell weren’t they arguing? Tony began to laugh openly now. The both of them weirdly had a pretty good sense of humor about this.

“I asked you to move in with me Steve. Like, we got serious.” He held a hand over his mouth to attempt to contain the laughing. This should be serious. This had very serious connotations and consequences.

“You asked the other avengers to move here too.” Steve said sheepishly, defending himself. Things were starting to cool down, the humor melting away and the two were once again on two different pages. Steve was glad Tony wasn’t angry. He was glad this wouldn’t ruin their friendship. Tony was beginning to realize Steve only saw him as a friend. This whole time, they were good friends. Every Time Tony tried to get closer, Steve probably just assumed that Tony Stark had no boundaries. Tony’s face went dark. It was an expression he didn’t like anyone else to see, but he was too used to being open with Steve to remember to hide it.Steve saw the distress and put his hand out to touch Tony’s. It had always seemed to be a comfort before.. Before when Tony thought his boyfriend was offering a comforting touch. Tony pulled his hand away quickly and put on a fake smile he hadn’t used on Steve in a year.

“No worries, we’re still friends. Makes sense you didn’t notice if you’ve never seen me that way. Excuse me.” Tony got up to leave.

“No, Tony, it’s not like that. Please, don’t be upset.” Steve said, turning and following when Tony continued walking away. He was walking towards his lab. His lab was amazing. It was filled with such wondrous things and the best of all Tony’s creations. But it was also where Tony went to bury feeling. To forget. To cry. To express. When Tony first gave Steve unlimited access to his lab, Steve had been so honored. Even when others were locked out, Steve could always go in to comfort Tony; to say what he needed to hear. Or he could say nothing. Sit and show Tony he was there when Tony was ready. He’d ridden out more than one of Tony’s panic attacks with him. Steve never understood how a place that held such happiness for Tony could also be where he went when he felt his most vulnerable. It always seemed to Steve that that might ruin the space. 

“I need a minute Steve.” Was all Tony said before locking Steve out. Steve didn’t even realize Tony could still lock him out. He thought he had as much access as Tony himself. It’d taken a long time to get enough trust to have so much access. He’d only gotten it 6 months ago… when Tony thought they were dating. Steve had fucked this one up. They may be able to get through this. All the confusion could be behind them and they might be able to salvage their friendship… but they’d gone so far since it had just been friendship. Steve didn’t want to go back.


	4. It was funny, now it's not

It was funny, then it wasn’t and now Steve doesn’t know what to do. He thought he’d just wait it out. Give Tony some time and he’d come out of the lab eventually. Steve had severely underestimated how much he had hurt Tony. Tony must be in so much pain. Steve entirely blamed himself, how could he be such an idiot. Not even noticing they were dating.. That was a new kind of stupid. Tony had been close enough and had liked Steve enough to date him for a YEAR. They were in an entirely different place in their relationship in Tony’s mind. Steve couldn’t even imagine what Tony was going through.

Tony also could not imagine what Tony was going through. At first he had been going through so many intense emotions that it was giving him whiplash, now he was alternating between extreme depression, loneliness, and hating himself. He was so angry at himself. He should have been more forward. He was always so forward about what he wanted, but with Steve… he cared about Steve... he thought a more gentle approach would be better. He was so god damned gentle Steve had no idea anything was going on at all. Had he really not been feeling any of the emotion Tony was? Did he not notice that Tony gave him special treatment from the others? Did he not notice how hard Tony held to him? Tony had been worried his clinginess would get in the way and adjusted so well he’d managed to be the exact opposite. What should he have done? If he had acted the way he did with his random hook ups with Steve would Steve had swooned like they did? Is that what Steve needed? What the hell did Steve even consider dating? Whatever it was, Tony could do it. He could be whatever Steve needed. That’s all he wanted! Why wasn’t he good enough? Great. Now Tony was crying too hard to see the project in front of him. He took in a shaky breath and put his tools down. What the fuck was wrong with him. Even in this moment, all he wanted to do was talk to Steve. That fucking idiot was just so comforting. Why did he have to be so perfect? Tony was just so angry. Not at Steve, not even at himself, but he could feel the anger boiling in the pit of his stomach, threatening to come out. Oh wait, that’s puke… nope, there’s anger there too. He’d made himself so upset that he was now throwing up into a waste bin located next to billions of dollars worth of technology. Awesome. It had been almost two days. Despite what people may think of his work habits, he usually didn’t stay in the lab this long. Sure, he worked at weird times and he definitely worked through the night, but not for 24 hours straight. He was a sane person. He knew he needed food, water, bathroom breaks and at least a little sleep. He knew the pain associated with forgetting to do any one of those things. He knew because at one point he’d been so absorbed in his work that he had forgotten, but he didn’t make the same mistake twice. Tony took a shaky breath. At least that’s what he tells himself. Yet, here he is, brainstorming ways to be with Steve. Like it worked so well the first time. Tony was exhausted. It came to him all at once, like every muscle in his body had agreed to shut down. It’d been a long time since he’d fallen asleep in his lab, but he had been awake and wired for so long, who could blame him?

Steve was so worried. Two days and Steve doubted Tony was taking care of himself. Sure he could take bathroom breaks and probably had water, but he had no food, nowhere to sleep, nowhere to relax. Just work. Steve couldn’t get anything done like this. He cared for Tony so much and the idea of losing him kept Steve on edge. Steve took a seat outside the lab doors. This was probably a lot of fuss for someone who was ‘just a friend’. Tony was right. Steve had never seen Tony that way. He had never stopped to look.. He hadn’t really stopped to look at anyone that way… ever? He always felt like he had more important shit to be doing. That’s why relationships were fleeting and usually work based. Convinence above anything else. Peggy was one of the only people Steve could say he loved romantically, but even he had to admit, if he hadn’t of met Peggy through the military, it was highly unlikely that they would have found each other. Steve wouldn’t of been looking. He doubted Peggy would’ve been looking either. She’d of been too busy making something of herself and doing amazing things. Steve gave himself a moment to wistfully think of Peggy. Their time together had been so short, but it was the only real experience with romantic love that Steve had. Don’t get him wrong, he was never lonely long. Steve always sought out friendship and surrounded himself with people. Plus, he’d always had Bucky. Even when things were bad and no one had any interest giving Steve the time of day, Steve always had Bucky. He’d loved Bucky. Never anything romantic. That Steve knew for sure. He thought he might have had a crush at one point. That was about the time Steve started to realize he liked boys as well as girls. The thought didn’t last long, because even though Steve had figured out he liked boys, he knew he didn’t like every boy and he didn’t like Bucky; not like that. When he started to get close with Tony, he had been hopeful that he had found something like he had had with Bucky. This wasn’t that. It was different. He felt comfortable around Tony, just the same as he had felt with Bucky, but everything else was different.. Steve wanted to spend every second of every day with Tony. He wanted to share everything with him. He wanted to touch him and be with him and kissing him was so nice. It’d probably be nicer if Steve wasn’t always caught off guard when they did it. Steve imagined kissing Tony.. yeah.. He'd like that. He wanted to do that. He liked all the things they did together and their phone calls and checking in on each other. He didn’t want to stop doing a single thing. Then Steve thought about actually knowingly dating Tony. He thought of all the things that would add. Some of it physical, some of it not. He wanted to date Tony and he wanted everyone to know. He wanted to protect Tony. It would also be nice to know it was his place to step in when someone was bothering Tony and stop them. It would be so nice to just be with Tony and belong. Steve had a smile on his face that quickly faded when he remembered how bad he just fucked up and hurt Tony. How does anyone come back from this?  
Tony was so hungry when he woke up that his stomach hurt. He got up from his seat with a grunt, sore everywhere. He could probably leave his lab now. His meltdown was over. He was breathing normal again. Steve probably wasn’t here anymore. Why would someone wait this long for someone they thought of as ‘just a friend’? Tony was wrong. He shouldn’t be so surprised. Apparently Tony doesn’t know Steve at all. There he is, sleeping right outside Tony’s lab waiting for him. Steve wakes up immediately to the sound of the door opening. 

“Hey.” Steve stared up at him, not yet moving.  
“Hey.” Tony stared back. It was silent for a few moments as the two stared before Steve finally got up. His sleep addled mind took a minute to realize that Tony was actually there and that this was not a dream. 

“Tony, we need to talk about this. I was so worried about you. I’m so sorry for everything.” Steve felt relieved to finally be able to talk about what was on his mind.

“I am so hungry.” Was Tony’s unrelated response. It was true though. Tony had not eaten in over two days! He was starving, and while talking didn’t sound like a bad idea, he was just so hungry. Steve smiled fondly and nodded.

“I’ve been saving you food when I would cook.. Just in case.” He shrugged and headed to the kitchen. Tony followed. He sat down at the breakfast bar. Steve was already making the food for him, Tony saw no reason to argue about it now. Steve took out the food, microwaving it and giving it to Tony. Tony began to slowly eat. After a while he finally spoke up,

“Why are you still here? You don’t have any reason to feel responsible for this. Shit happens. I’ll get over it.” Tony wished Steve wasn’t there. All he wanted earlier was to talk to Steve, but this was too hard. Seeing Steve standing there, caring about Tony.. but not how he wanted... it was so hard.

“I couldn’t just leave you like that. You really don’t think I’d do that, do you?” Steve sat beside Tony.

“No..” Tony said softly then muttered under his breath, “But I also thought we were dating for like a year, so, yeah.” Steve pressed his lips together, his eyes sad. Tony sighed, “Were you out there the whole time? You really didn’t need to wait.. I said I needed a minute.”

“That was more than a minute.” Steve replied so quickly it seemed to come out of his mouth involuntarily. Tony shrugged and it was Steve’s turn to sigh. “Yeah, I was out there the whole time. It wasn’t bad. It gave me time to think.. And it’s not like I could have gotten much done worrying about you so much.”

“Why do you care so much?” Tony asked. He knew that people had friendships that were close like this. You don’t need to like someone romantically to care about them, but this all just felt like a giant taunt.

“Well, apparently, we’ve been dating for a year, so theres that” Steve tried to lighten the mood. Tony huffed out a morbid laugh, rubbing a hand over his face, forgetting about the food.

“That shouldn’t be funny.” Tony held back a chuckle. Steve smiled,

“I remember thinking the exact same thing earlier. I think it’s just so ridiculous.. How did I not know? How were we both so unclear with our intentions?”

“They’re pretty clear now.” Tony conceded. He didn’t blame Steve for not having the same feeling as him, but it felt as if every single day of this past year had actually been a rejection and it’s only now catching up with him.

“I don’t think it’s as clear as you think it is.” Steve answered, determined to get all of this sorted out. Tony perked up in his chair immediately. “It’s true I’d never really stopped to think about the romantic side of our relationship.” Steve started and Tony felt like he could start hyperventilating at any moment now. It was bad enough before, but now he was getting a formal rejection to top it all off. “I’ve never had the time or patience to search for that kind of relationship. I was either too sick or too busy with one thing or another. Sometimes I’m pretty convinced most of my relationship with Peggy was a complete miracle of intertwining schedules.” Steve chuckled nervously. “And then you showed up.. And we kind of clashed with each other at first, but that’s bound to happen to two people with such big ideals.. And then we became friends and I was drawn to you.. And then there was a progression of that into something more...”

“Steve, what are you saying?” Tony asked, his emotions in flux, unsure of what this was and so anxious to know.

“I mean.. I didn’t know it, but we were dating. We were dating for a year and it was the happiest I had been in such a long time. I don’t see how I couldn’t have notice. I knew it was because of you, I just didn’t understand the implications of that. What I’m saying is I’m an idiot, because we were definitely dating this whole time and I don’t want to stop.”

“Wait.. what? You want to keep dating?” Tony asked hopefully  
“Yeah.” Steve nodded  
“So, we’re dating?”  
“Yeah.”  
“You’re sure this time?”  
“Yeah.” Steve laughed, “very sure.” Tony’s head was dizzy with happiness. He and Steve stood up to face each other.

“Am I allowed to touch you this time around?” Tony asked with a smirk. Steve rolled his eyes. He remembered wondering what it would be like to kiss Tony before. He’s going to find out now. He moved his body closer to Tony’s, putting his hand steadily on the back of Tony’s head, leaning down and pulling him in for a kiss. Tony’s arms quickly wrapped around Steve’s waist. This was what he’d wanted this entire time: to be closer to Steve. They should probably learn to be better at communicating, but this’ll work out. They were finally on the same page.

**Author's Note:**

> Anyone want an epilogue?


End file.
